


In bright, burning, red

by PurpleHazeGirl



Series: The Taylor Swift x Tessa Virtue Project [2]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, a lot of aus, inspired by Taylor Swift's Red album
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22833634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleHazeGirl/pseuds/PurpleHazeGirl
Summary: Fourth part of the fanfic series of Taylor Swift's music reflected on Tessa's life. This work is based on Red and its 19 songs. One song for each chapter - bonus chapter for State of Grace (Acoustic).Most recently published: State of Grace (meet uncute, 2015)
Relationships: Scott Moir & Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir/Tessa Virtue
Series: The Taylor Swift x Tessa Virtue Project [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1204363
Comments: 10
Kudos: 13





	In bright, burning, red

**Author's Note:**

> It seems like I finally got to an end of my writer's block that has been happening since last November! This first chapter is actually the first part of a whole ginarmous one shot that I started working back in April 2019. 
> 
> It's a summer Olympics AU, in which Scott is an up and coming road cyclist that was victim of a judging scheme where his major competitor and training buddy (Guillaume) was benefited from said scheme. Tessa is an artistic gymnast that competed on Beijing 2008 successfully (bronze on FX, 5th on AA), then suffered an injury right before London 2012 (won gold AA on 2010 Worlds and silver on 2013) and Rio 2016 is her comeback. For age proposes, fic!VM were born in 1990 and 1992, respectively. 
> 
> This chapter is a birthday gift to Echoesofstardust, who started as a beta for this chapter, but has been kept in dark about my most recent developments on it. I also have to thank Cas, Iryna, and Emma (who helped SO MUCH when I was feeling blocked), and everyone who has been supportive of my writing! Thank you SO MUCH!!!!! 
> 
> As any RPF fic, this work doesn't reflect on reality and it's only a mere exercise of my creativity as a writer.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy it! And happy birthday, Echoes!

_ July of 2015, Canada _

Tessa wakes up groaning, not opening her eyes at first, just merely reaching out to her bedside table to hit the snooze button on the final alarm she had set on her phone. It's 5am and Tessa is well aware that she needs to get up soon enough to catch a flight to Toronto for the Pan-Am games that will start in two days. She knows that she needs to perform well in the games – with no room for any slight errors, in her opinion – in order to be considered for the Canadian team that will be sent to Rio next year.

Even though Tessa usually wakes up around this time of the day to train, six days a week, she’s never gotten used to the idea of being active, bubbly and sociable so early.

Tessa starts to get up from her bed when she hears someone knocking on her bedroom door, turning her head just in time to see her mom slightly open the door.

“Honey…”, she says softly, looking towards her daughter's bed. “Oh, good, you're awake!”

Tessa just groans once more in response, knowing by her current humour that she won't feel totally awake until she drinks a mug of coffee – or two. Kate, knowing her daughter isn’t a morning person, just gives her an understanding smile and sets down a steaming mug of dark brown liquid and leaves the room. She knows Tessa is well aware of the tight schedule ahead of her and will be ready in time for her flight to Toronto. 

Sure enough, ten minutes later Tessa joins her in the kitchen to eat breakfast, already dressed for the flight in a pair of light blue jeans, a grey and red maple leaf t-shirt, and sneakers; hair in a loose side braid over her right shoulder. Kate offers her a bowl of mixed cereals, banana and yogurt, and they eat in companionable silence.

After that, Kate loads the dishwasher – since Jordan will be back home in the evening, before taking a plane herself – while Tessa goes around the house to finish up getting ready and gather her suitcases, bringing them to the front door.

“Are you ready?” Kate asks, joining her there.

“Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be.” Tessa replies, trying to believe it herself.

“Did you get all your leotards and Olympic gear?”

“Yes, mom.”

“And your-”

“Mom, let’s just go to the airport, okay?”

“I’m just trying to help you make sure you’re not forgetting anything important, Tess.”

“I know, mom…” Tessa releases a deep sigh, gripping the handle of her bigger suitcase tighter. “It’s just, this is it. I have to bring my A game and be flawless or all the training I’ve done since Antwerp will be worthless. I need to be selected to the Worlds team!”

“Hey, look at me.” Kate pleads, taking Tessa’s free hand into her own, still keeping a warm gaze in her eyes. “You are an incredible athlete, you have overcome so much diversity and you faced everything with your A+ game. You know you really are as ready as you’ll ever be because you left no stone unturned as you prepared yourself for this. And if, during the competition, you need some reassurance, you can look for me and Jordan in the stands and see your biggest supporters, no matter what happens, okay? Now come here.” Kate ends her speech pulling Tessa into a tight hug.

Mother and daughter keep on hugging each other until a car horn is heard from the other side of the front door. 

Tessa pulls back first, with some unshed tears in her green eyes. “Well, that must be our Uber.” 

“Let’s get this show on the road, eh?”

“Yes, let’s do it.”

…

Shortly after they check in their luggage, Tessa and Kate pass through security and make their way to their designated boarding gate. Realizing there’s enough time until boarding, Tessa decides to go for a walk around the departures area to calm her nerves.

“Mom, I think I’m gonna go walk to the bookstore and get something there. Do you want anything?”

“Sure. Get me a latte from Tim’s if not too far out of your way.” She says opening her purse to get her wallet.

Tessa notices Kate’s action and dismisses her, with a gentle tone. “You don’t need to pay for it, mom. I got it covered, okay?”

“Okay, honey.” Kate gives Tessa an affectionate smile. Her daughter opens her backpack to gather her wallet and gets up to wander off through the boarding area.

Tessa stops at the bookshop first, wandering through the books and magazines available to be purchased. She looks through some classics, some of the best selling books (making a mental note to update her wish list). After a quick look at the new arrivals, she picks up a copy of “The Girl on the Train”, remembering the rumour about Emily Blunt being cast, and goes towards the check out area. 

The next stop is Tim Hortons inside the airport to get her mom’s request. Tessa gets in the queue behind a man with short dark hair who, after a quick glance, is talking to someone on the phone. She takes her phone out of her bomber jacket with the intention to update her goodreads profile, adding the new purchase on her reading list, when a loud laugh gets her attention. It seems like the man standing right in front of her is one end of an animated phone call and doesn’t give a fuck about how loud he’s talking. 

_ How can someone be so loud when it’s so early? _ , Tessa thinks to herself and shakes her head, focusing again on her phone. It’s not until she realises that someone is staring at her that she notices the man looking at her with his eyebrows raised, and his phone in his right hand that it dawns on her she voiced her thought out loud. And that the man staring at her is the loud phone call man. 

She blushes a little, muttering a small “sorry” and he returns to his call, though talking at a lower volume than before – a small victory in her books. 

Soon enough, it’s his turn to order, but she doesn’t really pay attention, reading her brand new book. Tessa is already so engrossed by the story that she doesn’t realize the queue has moved and she’s clear to order with the cashier. She looks up after someone close-by coughs and gets her attention. Looking towards the source of the coughing, she sees the man with his phone again and gives him a death glare before turning to the cashier.

The employee, a girl who seems to be working there as a summer job, smiles brightly at Tessa, maybe recognizing who she is. “Good morning, welcome to Tim Hortons. What would you like to order today?”

“Hi, I’d like a medium latte to take out.”

“What's the name that should be on the order?”

“Kate.” She sees the cashier looking at her in confusion.  _ Yep, she knows who I am. _ “It's for my mom.” She rushes to explain, shrugging her shoulders.

The cashier girl nods and accepts the five dollar bill that Tessa gives her to pay for the beverage. When she gives Tessa the receipt and the change, she says, “I hope they choose you to go to Rio next year. You deserve it.”

Tessa gives her a genuine smile and thanks her, stepping aside so the next customer in line can order, but not before putting the two dollars change on the tip jar. These small moments of recognition from other Canadians make Tessa feel like all the hard work she committed herself to go through is worth it. It makes her feel like she's on the right path. 

Little does Tessa know that someone, seated at a table right in front of the counter, watched the exchange between her and the coffee shop employee, it’s the same man that was in front of her in the queue. He observes the interaction with some attention, feeling intrigued by the bookworm girl (as he started calling her in his mind) and the compliment given to her by the coffee shop employee.  _ Does that mean she’s going to compete in Toronto too? _

He stands up and walks back to the counter, pretending to look at food options, when in reality, he wants to get closer to eavesdropping on the conversation happening between the Tim's employees. He hears the duo talking about how the bookworm is a GOAT in the making. 

He can’t help but interrupt the conversation. “Um, excuse me?”

The girl doesn’t even bother to look up at him to answer his question, talking in an automatic way, “The beverages are done following the sequence of-”

“That’s not what I want to ask.” He cuts her off. The girl stops swirling her drink and gazes at him, questioningly. “What I would like to know is, who was the woman who ordered right after me?” He asks, lowering his voice so only the employee hears his curious question. 

“You don't know her?” She looks at him like he has a second head that just grew from his neck. “She's Tessa Virtue, the most decorated gymnast in Canadian history!”

His eyes go wide, not expecting that answer. He takes a moment to try and recall something he might have seen about her on sports media. He remembers some news from Beijing 2008: a girl with dark blonde hair in a ponytail wearing a white and red leotard on the podium.  _ Huh? So that was her too? _ , he thinks to himself and takes a look at the dark haired woman engrossed with her book.  _ Yup, it’s really her _ . 

He thanks the coffee shop employee for the information and pulls out his phone and googles her name, finding the link for her Instagram. He scrolls through her feed, clicking on a video of her training on a beam. He looks up at the girl –  _ Tessa _ , he corrects himself – who’s still obliviously reading her book, with a stunned look on his face, feeling impressed that she can do all those moves. He then decides to introduce himself. 

“Uhm, excuse me?”

“Yes?” She says, raising her head towards the person who’s so rudely interrupting her reading her book.

“I’d like to introduce myself, because you’re a fellow athlete. I’m Scott Moir.” He says, offering his hand for her to shake.

“Tessa Virtue.” She says it, taking his hand and shaking it in greeting.

“Nice to meet you, Tessa.” He says, quickly glancing at her full attire. 

“Likewise.” She says, still feeling skeptical of him. “So, what sport do you do?” She asks, giving him an onceover and trying to decipher if this Scott really is an athlete or not. 

“I compete in road cycling.” He says, looking very proud of himself. 

Tessa decides she’s not fully convinced by his words just yet, making more questions. “Ah, so you competed at the last Tour de France?”

She notices how his expression changes from beaming to one of lingering hurt. 

“I…, um, I was supposed to be selected for it, but I was replaced by a teammate instead.” He says, rubbing his hands together in a nervous manner. 

Tessa can’t help but feel slightly sympathetic towards him, since she knows how it feels to be replaced for a competition. 

“Oh, I know what you mean. Been there, lived that.” She says, not wanting to reveal too much about herself.

“Yeah, it’s not something you expect to happen when you know you’re good at what you do and want to be recognized for it, right?” He asks, trying not to stare at Tessa’s hypnotic green eyes. 

“Yeah, you’re right on that.” She answers, nodding her head. 

After a few moments of ( _ awkward _ ) silence, not knowing how to keep the conversation going, Scott clears his throat and speaks again, trying to break the ice.

“So, you’re a gymnast… Are you really  _ that _ flexible?” He asks, with a knowing smirk on his face.

“Really, out of anything you could have asked about me being a gymnast, you ask me that?” She gives him a disgusted look. “Men…” she mumbles, taking two steps sideways to create some physical space between them while waiting for her mom’s order. 

Soon enough, both Scott and Tessa’s orders are called out and they part ways. But before doing so, Tessa glares at the annoying man –  _ Scott _ – one last time.

…

Kate’s eyebrows draw together in concern as Tessa stomps back to the boarding gate and sits down in her seat with a huff. Tessa wordlessly passes the coffee to her mother, who clearly wants to ask her what’s wrong. 

“It’s fine,” Tessa sighs, “It’s just too early still.” She attempts to bury her annoyance by taking out her book once more and lifting it so it covers her face. However, Kate swiftly halts the movement of her arms and fixes her with a knowing look.

“What’s wrong?” Kate asks. “Something’s upset you, this isn’t just you not being a morning person.”

_ Damn her mother for knowing her so well!  _ “Ugh,” grunts Tessa, putting down the book and folding her arms over her chest. “There was this guy in the line for coff-”

She’s interrupted by movement in the seating area in the boarding gate. She looks at whoever is making their way towards one of the few empty seats, which happens to be right across from her. 

_ Scott. _

She feels her annoyance towards him rise again. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” She says, huffing.

Scott looks up to meet her intense gaze. “Oh, it’s you again.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this fic! Give a kudos or leave a comment, if you want. Or yell at me over twitter (@nicknotkidman). Whatever you prefer!
> 
> Until next time!


End file.
